AlphaTauri have sacked Nyck De Vries and appointed Daniel Ricciardo as his replacement with immediate effect.
De Vries was announced as Pierre Gasly’s replacement at 2022 Japanese Grand Prix after the Frenchman opted to join Alpine for this season, but the Dutchman has struggled to deliver results which has left him sat 20th and last in the drivers’ standings with zero points from ten races.
AlphaTauri have consequently acted with approval from their parent team, Red Bull, to sack De Vries with immediate effect, as they seek to revive their fortunes with the team sat last in the Constructors’ Championship with just two points.
Ricciardo consequently has joined on loan from Red Bull for the remainder of this season, whilst Red Bull and AlphaTauri consider their long-term options for the AlphaTauri seat amidst speculation over Sergio Perez’s future at Red Bull.
“I’m very pleased to welcome Daniel back into the team,” commented AlphaTauri Team Principal, Franz Tost.
Tost proceeded to iterate that Ricciardo – who previously drove for the team between 2012-14 under their former name – Toro Rosso, will have an “easy and straight-forward” integration into the team
Explaining the decision to dismiss De Vries, Tost added: “I would like to thank Nyck for his valuable contribution during his time with Scuderia AlphaTauri, and I wish him all the best for the future.”
Ricciardo meanwhile said that he felt “stoked to be back on track with the Red Bull family!”
Red Bull’s Team Principal and CEO, Christian Horner meanwhile believes that Ricciardo will settle quickly, as he said: “It is great to see Daniel hasn’t lost any form while away from racing and that the strides he has been making in his SIM sessions translate on track.
“His times during the tyre test were extremely competitive. It was a very impressive drive and we are excited to see what the rest of the season brings for Daniel on loan at Scuderia AlphaTauri.”
The decision to sack De Vries however has attracted criticism from various journalists and even De Vries’ fellow compatriot, Giedo van der Garde who on Twitter criticised Red Bull and AlphaTauri for their lack of patience.
Never expected it to be over so quickly for Nyck. If you look back at it, the amount of time he was given to get used to the car and the progress he made (slowly but surely) it’s – in my opinion – been too soon. As for Nyck, this hurts like a m*#%{f^]er. pic.twitter.com/GorCrWqex2
— Giedo van der Garde (@GvanderGarde) July 11, 2023
F2 and F3 commentator, Alex Brundle meanwhile questioned whether the decision to put Ricciardo in the car rather than Liam Lawson marks a sign of Red Bull’s lack of trust in their junior roster, as he tweeted:
This is a bit harsh in several directions
A) I think it’s fair to expect a full season to prove you can perform, especially when the car has been such a moving target.
B) Taking DR and not Lawson seems to demonstrate no confidence from RB in their driver roster. https://t.co/P10Oih4x0T
— Alex Brundle (@AlexBrundle) July 11, 2023
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